1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shelf supporting devices and, more particularly, to an improved low profile shelf lock of novel construction and designed to secure a shelf in a cabinet against displacement during shipment and/or use.
2. The Prior Art
In the manufacture of various types of cabinets or like products which incorporate shelves, it is desirable to make the cabinet not only so that the shelves be adjustable to different heights but also so that the cabinet can be shipped with the shelves installed and without the shelves becoming loose during shipment. In prior patents, this desirable feature already has been addressed, with various degrees of success. To wit, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,111, there is disclosed a combination of a shelf anchor and of a conventional shelf suport that cooperate to hold a shelf against displacement during shipment. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,112, there is disclosed a unitary shelf support and anchor including a planar resilient finger located in spaced relation above a shoulder designed to support a shelf. The finger deflects to permit a shelf dropping onto the shoulder and then springs out to prevent displacement of the shelf. And in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,266, there is disclosed a self-locking shelf support provided with a plug adapted to be mounted in a wall socket. The plug is formed with an axial chamber to house a pin and a spring reciprocable therein. The retractable pin holds the shelfin place during and after shipment. There is still room left for improvements.